No fewer than 80 people were on Saturday, January 29, 2022, arrested in Ondo for violating the state’s environmental laws.
The arrests were effected by officials of the State Waste Management Authority, ODSWMA while enforcing the monthly sanitation exercise.
Ayo Adeyemo, the general manager, ODSWMA, said, the offenders were picked up at various locations within the Akure metropolis during the first sanitation exercise of the year 2022.
While expressing dissatisfaction over the attitude of some residents towards the hygiene of their environment, Adeyemo maintained that stringent measures will be taken against offenders.
She added that some of the arrested offenders were caught openly burning refuse while some were holding service in their churches.
“Environmental sanitation hours should be hours people should keep their environment clean and not conducting programmes in churches.
“Also, some people were selling things. They didn’t even care, maybe probably because we didn’t hold environmental sanitation exercise last year December because it was a festive period.
Adeyemo disclosed that ”drivers too were loading in the parks. Apart from loading, their surroundings were just filthy, unhealthy, and littered with waste. So, generally, we are not impressed.”
